Yeah ok, so this gig was last year, or about 3 months behind schedule. I’m never that snappy with my words, but you can be assured that I did make a great degree of notes on the night and, and uhh…. well. Yeah. Bit of a shit of me for not getting this done until now - Christmas time is a busy time for all and we all fall into the mire of woe in the months that follow this, but this is NO excuse. So please do forgive me for getting this review out so late, it doesn’t do any justice to what a great night everybody had.

So picture it. Late November in Jersey. Not particularly cold, but wet. Yes, very wet. It is the time of year where everyone has gotten used to the Christmas adverts that have been up for what feels like forever, and in the spirit of the final weekend of the month, some people are even putting up their own trees and decorations.

One thing that you can be excused for at this time of year though, is going out for a few social sips. What better reason to hit the Town House other than to catch the mighty Sham 69 in your very own hometown. I’m not quite sure how the TDR team pulled this one off but what a way to end the year.

This was the last Twice Dead show of 2015 - and what a year it has been for the team, and all those who have shown up to the shows, bands and fans alike. From the thunderous storm that Conan brought over, through to the excellent show that Intensive Square put on and all the Jersey and Guernsey bands in-between, I think that we can all agree that 2015 was a very good year for alternative music in the Channel Islands.

It's not just for young people!

What was blatantly obvious was that the island’s love for noisy rebellion is not just for the young gig goers, no way. Sham 69 had brought in an audience both young and old, it was great to see so many people getting involved in the night.

I was speaking to one bloke outside the Town House who told me that he was at the pub, about to head home when he had heard about the gig, and had immediately made a bee-line for the Town House, telling me that he would not have missed the chance in a million years.

Great attitude.

V.D Burns

So the night was kicked off with a guest DJ set by vinyl spinning, old school punk DJ VD Burns from across the seas (Guernsey). It was a really nice touch for this punk and ska night to have someone set up on stage, pulling out the classics and playing them as they should be played! Great set from Mr Burns and a brilliant way to get the crowd warmed up.

This was the first time that I’ve caught the three-piece ska-punk outfit from Guernsey. Often thought of as a genre passed its time, the trio bring a breath of fresh air to a genre that many of us grew up listening to. There was a time in our lives where there was nothing quite better than playing the latest Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, or the like, packed with tracks from bands like Sublime and Less Than Jake.

As mentioned, it can be a hard genre, in my opinion, to really get the best out of. But I’ll be damned, Honest Crooks honestly blew me away. The tracks that they write just come across so naturally, with brilliantly composed and executed riffs, bass lines and drumming.

The most standout thing about the band might be James’ vocal melodies that fit so well with the tracks, and like a fine pizza, they’re topped off with some excellent harmonies. You can both see and hear that the three of them love what they do, and I think that the audience really enjoyed what they were all about.

Again, another standout band from that little island not so far away. They’re really great and you should definitely check them out.

Bothered Face

Bothered Face are always a good treat. I’ve caught them a couple of times now at local shows and their sets are always held together with a solid amount of amicable noise.

They’re a great band and you can tell that everybody in the room appreciates what they’re doing. One thing I can tell you that I appreciate, is lead man Jamie’s fantastic and frankly beautiful beard. What a magnificent creation to behold – and on the off chance that this band didn’t produce the musical goods, then I think that would compensate.

But there was no compensation required, nobody needed anything like that. Bothered Face delivered a really nice set, sonically booming and pleasurable.

It was the perfect set to keep the beers flowing, and get the audience to really let their hair down. I look forward to seeing these guys again soon.

From the moment that this show was announced, there wasn’t much more that needed to be said to get the tickets sold. We’ve had some fantastic bands play in Jersey locally, but to get such an influential and important piece of music and cultural history to visit our hometown is just awesome.

A lot of early punk bands had their roots in kids with an art school background, whereas Sham came from a different background, and brought a hard and raw energy to their music. It’s hard to write about punk without coming across like a twat, it is very easy to be cliche. Punk in the 1970s meant a lot of things to many people, and I wasn’t even drawing air then. There were a lot of guys in the audience who’re probably a lot more qualified to talk about the roots of the scene than I ever will be. But to see this music connecting so much with everyone in the room was refreshing.

Regardless of the years gone by, the energy that Tim V brought to the stage was electric and boundless. It puts to shame a lot of performances I’ve seen from people a third of his age. For an older bloke, he absolutely fucking smashed it. The bass, guitars and drums are still ringing in my ears as I sit here typing this, 3 months on.

The audience were treated to a variety of tracks from their extensive back catalogue. With each track, the delivery and punch did not relent. There were men and women, young and old, joined together, splashing beer over each other and chanting along. Everybody left with a smile on their face.

When the kids are united, they will never be divided. Music is fucking good for you.